However, I wanted to note there's some serious gallery dropout at TIAF this year. Though the numbers don't totally reflect it--commercial exhibitors are at 92 this year compared to 106 last year--some pretty prominent dealers, especially from the West, have ixnayed participation this year. These include super-top Vancouver gallerist Catriona Jeffries, as well as respected Vancity galleries Winsor, Equinox and Monte Clark (though the latter of which will be partly repped by Toronto's Clark & Faria). Also conspicuously absent, to my mind, is Calgary's Trepanier Baer, who I usually look forward to seeing given their representation of Evan Penny and Chris Millar, among others.

To me this is a sad, if understandable, turn of events. I definitely am aware that commercial galleries, particularly in a fair setting, are not the last word in contemporary art. But TIAF is one of the few chances in Canada to (theoretically) see what dealers across the country are showing and believing in. And the West, a huge part of that national equation, seems to be largely absent this year--Blanket's providing the sole Vancouver rep far as I can tell, I'm not counting Bau-Xi because they have a Toronto branch. Also, there's zero galleries from Edmonton or Calgary, since Douglas Udell is also absent this time around.

I would hope, if only for my selfish, non-airmiles-flush self, that this 2009 pattern reverses itself in years to come.

Still, part of me thinks the market probably needs to recover more to make even grant-covered gallery travel worthwhile. What do you think? Am I lamenting what is actually a good thing (a blow to the "evil art-fair system")? Am I too "I Want the West In"? Let me know.

Image from an artist we likely won't see at TIAF--Ryan Sluggett, who is repped by Trepanier Baer. This work is Fake Lake 2007 from Canadianart.ca